this is "world news." tonight, red hot. what happened today after the vice presidential fireworks? who won? what about the body language? and the moderator, our own martha raddatz, standing by to tell us what she could see at the desk we couldn't see at home. money maker. what happened today at the nation's superstores? it could save you a lot of money on your holiday shopping and we'll show you how. hitting the brakes at nascar. in a season of seismic crashes, why racing legend dale earnhardt jr. says he's getting out of the car before people get hurt. and rolling on. ♪ start me up >> mick jagger and the stones have a brand new move tonight. what have they done now?

good evening on this friday night. we begin with the aftershocks from that epic clash last night, that fiery debate between vice vice president joe biden and congressman paul ryan. we now know that 51 million of us watched. so, who won? and what does it mean for the presidential race? with just 25 days to go before americans go to the polls, your voice, your vote. and our team is standing by, including the moderator of the debate, our own martha raddatz. but we begin with abc's jonathan karl right now. jon? >> reporter: diane, it was an even harder fought than the presidential debate, but today, both men quickly hit the campaign trail, trying to take advantage of whatever momentum they can. fresh off the big debate, joe biden rallied supporters in wisconsin, paul ryan's home state. >> i am sure you observed last night, we had a little bit of a debate. >> reporter: ryan, out for a family breakfast in kentucky, seemed pleased, too.

>> i feel great. >> reporter: it was a debate that sets the stage for the campaign's final month, laying out big differences on the central issues. like whether tax rates can be lowered without adding to the deficit. >> not mathematically possible. >> it is mathematically possible. it's been done before. it's precisely what we're proposing. >> it has never been done before. >> it's been done a couple of times, actually. >> it has never been done before. >> jack kennedy lowered tax rates, increased growth. ronald reagan -- >> oh, now you're jack kennedy? >> reporter: biden went right at ryan over mitt romney's controversial comments calling 47% of americans who don't pay income taxes irresponsible. >> the idea, if you heard that, that little soliloquy on 47%, you think he just made a mistake, then i got a bridge to sell you. >> i think the vice president very well knows sometimes the words don't come out of your mouth the right way. >> but i always say what i mean. >> reporter: when biden wasn't talking, he seemed oddly amused. by our count -- smiling or breaking out in laughter 92 separate times.

expressive, often interrupting and occasionally personal. >> this is a bunch of stuff. look, here's the deal. >> what does that mean, a bunch of stuff? >> well, it means it's simply inaccurate. >> it's irish. >> it -- it is. we irish call it malarkey. >> thanks for the translation. >> reporter: and ryan needled ryan over the president's performance in last week's debate. >> i know you're under a lot of duress to make up for lost ground. but i think people would be better served if we don't keep interrupting each other. >> reporter: abc's martha raddatz asked pointed questions of both, pinning down biden on the administration's shifting accounts of the attack that killed the u.s. ambassador to libya. >> why were people talking about protests? when people in the consulate first saw armed men attacking with guns, there were no protesters. why did that go on? >> because that's exactly what we were told by the intelligence community. the intelligence community told us that. as they learned more facts about exactly what happened, they changed their assessment.

>> reporter: ryan made it clear it's an issue the romney campaign will hit hard in the campaign's final weeks. >> and that is what we are watching on our tv screens is the unraveling of the obama foreign policy, which is making the world more chaotic and us less safe. >> reporter: overall, ryan and biden were really at their best last night. biden showing his passion, ryan showing his seriousness. and one big reason for that, diane, is that we had a debate moderator who was able to bring out what these candidates are really about. so, if you don't mind, a little point of privilege, i would like to say kudos to my friend, martha raddatz. >> and you are joined by every single person at abc news, jon. martha raddatz is with us now. it is great to see you. >> reporter: it's great to see you, diane. and it's great to have this behind us. >> take us there. put us in your chair. what could you see that we couldn't see from home? >> reporter: well, i think one of the things about being at that table, it is so intimate, so, when joe biden is smiling or when joe biden is raising his

voice a bit, it's really in your face. it was really in paul ryan's face. they were watching the clock so carefully, those opening statements of two minutes, with each question. they would always fill those two minutes exactly. they were both taking notes. this is what vice president biden wrote down. he sad "no apology, egyptian people, a.q.," meaning al qaeda, "bob gates, effective," and then i don't know what the other two words were saying. >> i should say, they put that out online today, we saw a picture of it online. what happened backstage when you talked to them? >> reporter: when we went back and saw vice president biden, it happened to be right at the time when he was getting a call from president obama, congratulating him on his debate and one of the things paul ryan said to me is, he said, boy, you know, i really, it's great. i've been looking at a lot of tapes of you for a long time now and, boy, have you been to afghanistan a lot of times. >> do you know?

>> reporter: i don't. i used to keep track in iraq. i can tell you, that was 21 times. but i think generally, to the region, pakistan, afghanistan, i've lost track but it's definitely dozens of times. >> all right, well, martha raddatz, it was a big job and you were absolutely masterful and head on out now and see you on the air next week. >> bye-bye, diane. and as you heard, martha asked pointed questions about libya, benghazi and the violence that cost four americans their lives, including u.s. ambassador chris stevens. and what we heard last night reverberating throughout washington today, in a series of questions and challenges. what did the white house know about the danger? and the need for protection? even secretary of state hillary clinton weighed in. here's abc's jake tapper. >> reporter: the vice president raised eyebrows and some outrage. when asked about the diplomats in libya whose requests for additional security forces fell on deaf ears. >> they wanted more security there. >> well, we weren't told they

wanted more security there. we did not know they wanted more security again. >> reporter: "we" seemed an interesting pronoun for the vice president to use, given that the very day before the debate, two of those security officers testified before congress about their frustrations with the state department. >> i asked for 12 agents. his response to that was, "you are asking for the sun, moon and the stars." >> reporter: today, mitt romney seized on biden's comments. >> when the vice president of the united states directly contradicts the testimony, sworn testimony, of state department officials, american citizens have a right to know just what's going on. >> reporter: and the white house attempted to clarify. >> the vice president was speaking about himself and the president and the white house. he was not referring to the administration. >> reporter: questions about why the obama administration initially seemed to downplay the attack that cost the lives of four americans, including ambassador chris stevens, are not going away. secretary of state hillary clinton today for the first time faced reporters on the issue.

>> to this day, we do not have a complete picture. we do not have all the answers. no one in this administration has ever claimed otherwise. >> reporter: and the white house continued to point out that many of the same republicans who are questioning the administration's refusal to send more security agents to libya are the same republicans who tried to cut funding for diplomatic security. diane? >> all right, jake. and i'll see you this sunday, we'll all be watching, as martha raddatz also joins you there to weigh in on the big debate. along with vice president biden's son, beau, and governor mitt romney's debate sparring partner, senator rob portman, "this week" this sunday. overseas now, and the latest on the heroic young girl, shot by the taliban because she made a public appeal for girls to get to go to school. today, across pakistan, it was a day of prayer for 14-year-old

malala yousufzai. she is in satisfactory condition tonight, they say, and we have learned that several suspects are under arrest. they have not been identified yet, but the taliban was unrepentant, issuing a statement, saying, they had warned her not to speak out about going to school, the way western girls do. malala has been air lifted to a leading military hospital in pakistan for her own protection. and now, back here at home, there is some wicked weather brewing as we head into the weekend. out west, the crushing triple digit heat has been replaced by hail. and there are random water spouts popping up on the horizon. as abc's meteorologist ginger zee tells us, tonight, the storms are marching east. >> reporter: thunderstorms and lightning lit up the sky in southern california. inside the storms, flooding rains and spectacular hail. >> it's pretty freaky weather down here. when we get a storm, we get it

so quick and furious. >> reporter: up to two inches of rain fell in less than half an hour near pasadena, california. >> the roof was just making the worst kind of noise, and then the lightning and the thunder and -- i mean, it would not stop. >> reporter: flash flooding shut down roads. multiple waterspouts and funnels were spotted yesterday along the beaches, from san diego to this one in huntington beach this morning. and in las vegas, roads closed and some schools shut down as record rainfall for the day made sin city's august through october the wettest stretch on record. almost five inches of rain in just three months. that's more than they get on average for an entire year. >> and ginger is here now to tell us, what is happening as it moves across, through the east? >> reporter: well, tonight, in the last couple of hours, we've already seen new mexico have some isolated hail reports coming out. what's going to happen is, the warm front and the cold front are going to move north and east. tonight, dodge city, all the way down into parts of western texas are in the zone that needs to be concerned.

but tomorrow, it gets very wide and goes all the way north to minneapolis, south to dallas and that includes chicago and st. louis. for those folks, they have to be aware tomorrow. isolated tornadoes, very strong winds, up to 80 miles per hour, and that hail. we'll be watching it on "gma" tomorrow and have all the updates throughout the weekend. >> so, the whole country is going to be affected as this moves. thank you so much, ginger. and now, the starting gun sounded today, 74 days until christmas. and a goliath superstore, today, best buy, gave consumers a new way to save money. now, a number of retail giants are trying to compete and abc's linsey davis explains. >> reporter: the war is on. retail titans fighting for your shopping dollars. putting more power in the hands of all of us consumers. with best buy announcing today, if you see something online cheaper than in their stores, best buy will match it. the largest electronics chain is throwing a power punch at the world's largest online retailer, amazon.com.

amazon, the young challenger, is testing same-day delivery to customers in ten cities, powered in part by their newest secret weapon -- warehouse robots. online retailers think these tiny droids can get consumers the instant gratification of having it now. walmart, the heavyweight when it comes to revenue, is also rolling out its own same-day delivery service. and when same-day just isn't fast enough, ebay has a new app that it's testing in san francisco that promises delivery within the hour, to wherever you are, from a park bench, to your office cubicle. with all the competition out there, consumers stand to benefit. but it pays to do your homework. >> really evaluate what you really need and then go to your local retailer and demand they give it to you or you'll buy it somewhere else. >> reporter: also, know when to shop. black friday and cyber monday aren't always the best times to find the lowest prices. according to consumer price

research firm decide inc, the best time to buy the hottest toys and latest technology items is often in october, saving you money and time standing in long, cold lines. linsey davis, abc news, new york. and coming up, they go 200 miles per hour on a razor's edge away from this. next, watch what happened in this car that has nascar legend dale earnhardt saying "enough." not in this economy. we also have zero free time, and my dad moving in. so we went to fidelity. we looked at our family's goals and some ways to help us get there. they helped me fix my economy, the one in my house. now they're managing my investments for me. and with fidelity, getting back on track was easier than i thought. call or come in today to take control of your personal economy. get one-on-one help from america's retirement leader.

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but inches and milliseconds could mean the difference between life and death. talladega speedway, last week. a 25-car pileup at 200 miles per hour. >> and a huge wreck to end this race. >> reporter: you're looking inside dale earnhardt jr.'s car, his head snapping. the result? a second concussion in the last six weeks. >> and the fact that i felt the way i did was what concerned me, after the accident in talladega, because it wasn't that hard of a hit. >> reporter: earnhardt will sit out at least two races. it was a stunning decision, in a sport where drivers rarely bench themselves. >> in the machismo world that is auto racing, where drivers are scared to death to lose their ride, he did take that initiative. >> i knew having them two concussions back-to-back was not a good thing. >> reporter: even more troubling since his father, dale earnhardt sr., was killed on the track 11 years ago in this crash.

of concussion similarymptoms, headache, memory loss, this doctor says reduced reaction time is the deadliest. >> if your reflexes are affected or your mental capabilities are affected, you cannot only endanger yourself, but your pit crew members, other drivers, even spectators. car gets airborne, goes into the crowd, that type of thing. >> reporter: i'm driving at about 60 miles per hour, or at 80 feet per second. but in nascar, they are going at 200 miles per hour. that's a football field every second. leaving zero room for error. nascar is the latest sport racing to reckon with the impact of concussions, so much more prevalent than anyone realized. >> my guess is that they've all had concussions. >> reporter: all of them? >> all of them. >> reporter: and now, one driver setting the pace for all of them. matt gutman, abc news, miami. and coming up, moving like jagger again. what did the rolling stones do now that defies time? ♪ start me up [ fishing rod casting line, marching band playing ]

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♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] you've been years in the making. and there are many years ahead. join the millions of members who've chosen an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. go long. we have some people in the news tonight. mick, keith, ron and charlie. that would be the rolling stones. their average age is now 68 1/4. but they have a defiant declaration that age is just a number. it's new, their first single in six years. here it is. take a listen. ♪ all i hear is doom and gloom >> it's called "doom and gloom,"

part of an anniversary album which drops november 12th, celebrating the stones' 50th year as rock stars. their message to us all? not going to fade away. and a number in the news. 2 miles per hour. that's how fast, or agonizingly slow, the space shuttle "endeavor" was as it crawled through the streets of los angeles today to the museum where it will be on display. it will take a day and a half to take the 12-mile journey. and by our math, in the old days, in that amount of time, it could have circled the earth 25 times, traveling 17,500 miles per hour. lo how the mighty. and a picture in the news tonight. a cuddle from a grateful walrus. there it is. you remember this walrus, you met him earlier this week. the 4-month-old orphan, settling into his new home tonight at an aquarium here in new york. he was rescued from the waters off alaska. he had become separated from his herd. he'll be quarantined for the

next 30 days as they wean him off the bottle, ease him onto the food that he would be eating in the open ocean. clams, squid and herring. and coming up, you simply have to see the wild things your fellow americans did after last night's debate. lf? c'mon, michael! get in the game! [ male announcer ] don't have the hops for hoops with your buddies? lost your appetite for romance? and your mood is on its way down. you might not just be getting older. you might have a treatable condition called low testosterone or low t. millions of men, forty-five or older, may have low t. so talk to your doctor about low t. hey, michael! [ male announcer ] and step out of the shadows. hi! how are you? [ male announcer ] learn more at isitlowt.com. [ laughs ] hey!

and leaves carpets fresh. ♪ tomato, obviously. haha. there's more than that though, there's a kick to it. wahlalalalallala! smooth, but crisp. it's kind of like drinking a food that's a drink, or a drink that's a food, woooooh! [ male announcer ] taste it and describe the indescribable. could've had a v8. nah. [ dennis' voice ] i bet he's got an allstate agent. they can save you up to 30% more by bundling your policies. well his dog's stupid. [ dennis' voice ] poodles are one of the world's smartest breeds. are you in good hands? starts with arthritis pain and a choice. take tylenol or take aleve, the #1 recommended pain reliever by orthopedic doctors. just two aleve can keep pain away all day. back to the news.

and finally, we'll return with our "person of the week" next week. but tonight, the last word on the big vice presidential debate comes from you. we were simply amazed at the avalanche of creative and irreverent takes we saw everywhere today. and abc's sharyn alfonsi has been pouring through them, chosen your absolute favorites? >> reporter: it was so hard to choose just a few favorites because everyone had something to say. joe biden's laugh alone got 500,000 mentions on twitter. and that was just the beginning. to some, the debate sounded like a song. ♪ their ideas are old ♪ and their ideas are bad ♪ obama promised hope and change ♪ ♪ turned his campaign into attack ♪ ♪ blake and defame >> reporter: this mashup,

courtesy of the gregory brothers. ♪ this is a bunch of stuff ♪ this president doesn't bluff ♪ we got to tackle this debt crisis ♪ ♪ before it tackles us >> reporter: bhu but where they heard music, others heard bickering. on twitter, one user wrote, "joe biden would very much like for paul ryan to get off his lawn." >> that's a bunch of malarkey. >> reporter: another compared ryan to a nervous walmart manager. biden to an irate customer who is friends with the store owner. biden's wild gesturing and giggles were dissected online. buzz-feed even naming the poses. >> oh, my goodness. >> reporter: from "the redd foxx," the "knuckle-sammy" and the "two tickets to the puppet show" pose. the range of emotions inspiring "the hulk biden" twitter account. ryan didn't get off any easier. huffington post noting his constant hydrating. thousands commenting on the round-up of ryan sips. sip after sip after sip. and while each candidate accused the other of flip-flopping, one viewer act chaully did flip-flop. the candidates' hair.

beltway pundits now drowned out be a greek chorus of comedians on their couch. who know just because you call someone your friend. >> and i love my friend here. my friend. my friend. my friend. my friend. >> reporter: doesn't mean they are. >> i don't understand what my friend's talking about here. >> reporter: it turns out biden said "my friend" more than a dozen times. that, plus the words malarkey and bunch of stuff have spawned one viewer to create something called a joe-cabulary list. 4 million tweets about the debate last night. no gaffe or tic went unnoticed, diane. >> and, as you well know, we get to do it all over again, coming up on tuesday night. that's the next presidential debate, 9:00 p.m. eastern/6:00 pacific. george stephanopoulos and i and the whole team will be right here. and we are so glad to have you here, sharyn. thank you. we thank you for watching. and we're always here at abcnews.com. david muir will be right here in this chair all weekend long and i'll see you again on monday. good night.

tonight abc 7 news investigates the claims of a blood donor who contracted an infection then found out his blood may have been sold. >> an internal investigation reveals some of the mistakes made by police during occupy protests.. >> we're live tonight at the scene of a big fire. a west portal restaurant goes

up in flames along with livelihoods of the workers. >> a's clean out their lockers while the giants await their next playoff opponents. we're live to find out who that is going to be. >> good evening, i'm dan ashley. >> a peninsula man is suing stanford blood center claiming he suffered a life threatening infection after donating blood. >> stanford is insisting it's nearly impossible to get that infection from a blood donation. >> christopher was a regular blood donor at stanford. he donated six times per year. that is the maximum allowed. he says he was not only infected after donating blood four years ago but that some of the blood was not going where he thought it was.